The Baltimore Ravens moved atop the AFC North in dominant fashion, beating the Houston Texans 31-2 in a game that saw Baltimore pull its starters at the beginning of the fourth quarter. With Pittsburgh’s loss to Kansas City earlier in the day, Baltimore (11-5) now takes the lead in the AFC North race, while Houston (9-7) fails to put up a fight against a contending team one week before the playoffs begin.
The Ravens dominated wire-to-wire, jumping out with an opening-drive touchdown and extending their lead to 17-2 before halftime. The Texans’ opening second-half possession ended in just three plays off a Kyle Hamilton interception, which Baltimore answered with a Lamar Jackson 48-yard touchdown run to put the game out of reach.
ACTION JACKSON TO THE HOUSE!!!
Tune in on Netflix!! pic.twitter.com/9hSGxJ9YSe
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 25, 2024
Jackson had another strong day while vying for his MVP award. Pulled at the start of the fourth quarter, Jackson finished his afternoon 10-for-15 for 168 yards and two passing touchdowns, adding 87 rushing yards and a touchdown on four rushing attempts. The 87-yard day helped Jackson set the all-time rushing record among NFL quarterbacks, passing Michael Vick at 6,109 rushing yards.
Baltimore’s defense swarmed a maligned Texans offensive line. C.J. Stroud was sacked five times, with the Ravens recording a total of nine QB hits. Stroud finished the day 17-for-31 for 185 yards and an interception. The Texans’ lone score on the afternoon came on a safety tackling Henry.
Ravens handle three games in 11 days perfectly and lead AFC North
The Ravens returned from their bye week two games back from the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North and facing a daunting three-game in 11 days stretch. Two of the games were against teams who already clinched playoff berths. Two of the games were on the road.
Yet, the Ravens won each of them by multiple scores. Their reward is a chance to win the AFC North on their home field with a win over the Cleveland Browns next weekend. The Ravens were always going to be in a position where their season is going to be judged by what they do in the playoffs and that remains the case. However, they are building momentum at the most important time of the season. — Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens beat writer
Lamar Jackson is now the greatest rushing quarterback in NFL history
It always seemed a matter of when Lamar Jackson broke Michael Vick’s record for most rushing yards by a quarterback, not if. Jackson had 87 rushing yards on four carries Wednesday and has 6,110 rushing yards over his career.
It took Vick 13 seasons to set the mark. Jackson did it in under seven. Jackson has no interest in so much attention being paid to what he’s capable of as a runner. However, to set that mark in less than seven full seasons will deservedly garner plenty of attention. — Zrebiec
Texans have to start showing more against the league’s better teams
Houston has already clinched the downtrodden AFC South and is pretty close to locked into that fourth seed. However, more was expected from this Texans team this year. More was expected from Stroud this year. The Texans were outmatched by the Ravens on both sides of the ball, continuing their recent inconsistencies. The Texans have beaten just one team currently in playoff position all year and that was the Buffalo Bills back in Week 5. It’s certainly possible that the Texans could get hot, but they haven’t exactly played like a legitimate contender for much of the season. — Zrebiec
Required reading
(Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images)
